A New Beginning

Why I shut down Love Over Addiction and moved here to our new little safe space (plus, what you can expect from me)

Let’s start again, shall we? A new beginning - here on a platform called Substack.

Why Substack, you might be wondering. It’s where all the “serious” writers are moving, lol. But seriously, there are a lot of journalists and authors who have quit the publishing world and selected Substack as their main gig.

Basically, Substack is a place for writers to keep it simple and just write inspirational words (hopefully).

No algorithms. No SEO. No clickbait. Just writing for the sake of saying something.

My previous writing career at Love Over Addiction was complicated. It didn’t start out that way, but thanks to Google, Facebook, and Instagram, it became more and more about how to get eyeballs on the “brand.”

I started my career over 10 years ago because I love writing. For real people. Not for “likes” or a popularity contest.

I’m a private person, and fame was never my end game.

But when I had advisors telling me I needed a TikTok account - that’s when I was like, “Ummmmmmm, no. Just no.”

I’m not dancing with bubbles popping up on the screen. THAT is definitely not my brand (some great women are doing this, but I won’t be one of them).

So… I took a break and regrouped.

I asked myself - how could I talk to you without doing the “influencer” - “self-help” - 10k for “coaching sessions” thing?

And this was the place. Substack. Easy. No frills.

I simply write, ask you questions, and you comment if you’d like - and we learn together.

How about that?

I would like to write about loving someone suffering from addiction, and I would also like to write about things I’m struggling with right now.

Because it feels honest if I tell you - I’m struggling too.

I’m not feeling great, and I would LOVE the chance to hear your thoughts about it. When I write about my current struggles - I want to know things like - have you ever felt this way? What did you do that helped?

I’d rather not be viewed as someone who has all the answers but rather as someone who is a friend that’s a human and goes through good times and bad.

THAT feels honest to me. And if there’s one thing I’ve tried to consistently be for you - it’s honest and real.

Because I know if you’re with someone struggling with addiction - chances are honesty is not a consistent theme in your life.

So yeah, there will be monthly emails I send about addiction. I’ve got that subject down pat. I feel confident enough to provide you with helpful tips about boundaries, when to leave, how to talk to your children, etc.

And I’ll also write about the struggles of being a woman. And maybe you’ll be able to relate, and we can share together. I swear, half my kid’s friends are online these days - so why not join the party?

Now - to do this little social experiment, I need to create a privacy wall. What I want to share will not be for everyone.

I’m not on social media right now.

I’m not podcasting.

This is the secret spot you’ll find me.

And in order to create a safe place to write AND comment - I think a subscription is the best way. You don’t have to pay if you don’t want to. Certainly not.

I’ll write helpful tips about addiction for free.

But I want to protect us and our conversations (the internet is a crazy place right now, isn’t it?), so I will send most of my articles to subscribers who can comment. That way, we can discuss, and the rest of the world cannot see. It’s not a perfect situation, but it replaces any secret Facebook group or Slack channel, preventing you from downloading another app.

Let’s recap what you can expect:

• Weekly emails from me about addiction and other personal topics

• I will only turn on comments for paid subscribers to protect privacy

• But if you don’t want to pay - it's totally cool. Get it. Respect it. Enjoy the free content.

I have missed you all. It’s nice to be back. Honestly.

What topics would you find helpful to discuss?

Do you love someone struggling with addiction?

Are you curious about how to make and maintain female friendships?

Is body image something you want to talk about?

In other words, what do you want to talk about in a safe space that others are not discussing?

Please share in the comments, and I’ll jot these down for future newsletters.